eekacat,

You can listen to today's episode of Fresh Air if you want to raise your blood pressure further. As I told my wife during the Frontline episode, I need to see this once in a while to remind me why Bush was such a disaster.

Sadly the new administration is doing nothing about it.

lukemeister, I listened to a repeat of that episode this morning on my way to work. It's fascinating and mind boggling. The greed is outrageous.

arsey - I think there are investigations going on but they're overshadowed by all the other clusterfucks underway (wars, economy, etc).

My senator, Bernie Sanders, has asked for an investigation. Obama seems not to want to. Consensus building? Good luck with that with the way the Republicans are acting. I say investigate the hell out of them. These people need to be exposed. CONGRESS CAN DO MORE THAN ONE THING AT TIME!

This starts at home for me; because although I am not sure of it, I actually believe that our elected officials have -zero- concern for U.S. American citizens.

I avoid buying products which I know will send our jobs overseas to slave/non-free countries. Coleman coolers are mad in the US. Vornado makes fans in the US. Several brands of loudspeaker are made in the US. Local carpenters can make better furniture than you can buy that is made in China; and for less money. With so very few actually noticing what their own footprint on the economy can be; is the gov't going to take care of such a populace? What 21st century US Americans is going to pay more for an American Made product; or even research the option?

On and on the idiocy goes. Moaning about the President/President of the moment is so scaler when compared to the direct effect of ones own actions; it is akin to watching two dogs yelling across a street at each other.

Of course; who is EVER going to actually write the gov't about this stuff. I mean; seriously. I've got shopping to do!

Well. I read the health care part of all of that; and nobody mentioned that it is also my US Citizens Americans right to overeat; smoke, do drugs, drink to excess, never exercise, brush, or floss; and when I have health care issues; my gov't better be there to pay for my care!

I won't go near the public school disaster elements of it all. A run on sentence without end commences. Kids having to learn to read, do numbers, or speak a common language. How dare the gov't force children to be so!

I don't know if you watched the linked program, buzzman, but it's about the deficit, and how it got to where it is. Things like a prescription drug benefit without doing anything to pay for it. Having a war, and trying to obfuscate the costs, and again, not doing anything to pay for it. Continuing to cut taxes while increasing spending, and letting "pay as you go" lapse. It's a debt fueled spending spree that puts the American consumerism to shame. My anger is at the fiscal rape the last president committed. Perhaps you're right, they're going to do what they want, so we should ignore what they do. That attitude has worked so well for us so far...

As a blue collar worker in manufacturing here in the USA, I am very aware of your concerns myself. I take it one step further, and support locally owned stores where I can. Dog food from the local feed store. Local hardware store for miscellaneous things. It costs a little more, but it's also part of belonging to a community. One can live their life treating their corner of the earth as best they can, and still be concerned about things on a national and international level. The world is definitely getting to be a smaller and smaller place, and we should keep trying to make it a better place at all levels.

Thank you eedacat. I made airplanes in Wichita before I began my travels. First burr shop, saw shop, then small parts drilling, riveting, glueing (airplanes have glue between many riveted parts), and some milling.

Bought a TV recently. Sony Bravia; out of Mexico. I look at stuff like this before I buy. Much better than wayyy overseas. Power cord was from China. Oh, no. Not on MY new TV. "Signal Cable" here I come. Bought one for my monitor at work too. Nice piece of wire; and a really cool "Handcrafted in the United States" on each end.

I check tags before I buy any article of clothing. Some contries; I don't like to bag on China constantly, but China is our #1 job drain, owns 6% of our debt; and denegrates our economy in political addresses. And people STILL buy JUNK from China. Jeez. No wonder this does not stop...

Bush was a horrible president. I said that at a Sunday family dinner. I hoped we would never have a president that would end a term worse than Carter did. Unfortunately; Bush delivered. I still expect him to come out with some announcement that he has brain cancer/was drinking in office/is addicted to heroin. He can't just shrug and pull some 'who, me? I was just the president' and exclude himself from being #1 in charge.

The War is an example of it is not what you do; it is how you do it. Nice idea; liberate a country. Implementation? Good lord. Some of our great leaders should be sat in a classroom and be forced to handcopy "Lord of the Flies" a thousand times.

Perhaps you're right, they're going to do what they want, so we should ignore what they do. That attitude has worked so well for us so far...

I never meant anything along those lines; what I was trying to convey was the average persons borderline illiteracy of how their own spending dollar fits into their local economy.

Have to digress again... I have this old Kyocera 2035 phone; people laugh at it until I point out their new phone was made in China. Anybody from China ever do business with you? How important is your job? Know anybody that got laid off from their manufacturing job in America? Entire rooms have fallen to silence.


- Excuse me while I step off my soapbox and return to studying for a professional license. Sure sign of end times; buzzman with professional license....